Shônen ai
by Agetada
Summary: Shukaku is gone. So Gaara sleeps. But an unexpected word written to his forehead makes him think of the things he never quite understood. Includes slight LeeGaaLee & NaruSasuNaru and a naive Gaara
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:** Shukaku is gone. So Gaara sleeps. But an unexpected word written to his forehead makes Gaara think of the things he never quite understood. (LeeGaaLee NaruSasuNaru)

**Disclaimer:** Characters ain't mine but Kishimoto Masashi's, idea ain't mine but Akatsuki Wallpaper's (foundable on FFNet with that name), but the story itself is mine.

**A/N:** So, this is up again. It's gone through a lot of changes with the wording, but the idea and the plot have still remained exactly the same.

This will be a short, hopefully cute and kinda romantic story of how (naive) Gaara reacts to Naruto and Sasuke's prank that really had no deeper meaning.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

-- --

Gaara, the Kazekage of Suna is visiting Konoha.

Not just to meet his friends, of course. He is there to take care of some business. They, however, can wait, for Gaara had decided to visit Naruto first and do his important but sometimes boring work later.

So now he is returning from a tiring but fun meeting with Naruto. A tired smile can be seen on his lips.

He walks to his bed, throwing his jacket to the floor. He collapses onto the soft mattress.

And so Gaara falls asleep.

-- -- --

"Ouch. Careful, dobe!"

"What? It's not my fault you've got such big feet."

Grunt. "Hn. Whatever."

"Teme! Don't spoil the fun."

Chuckle. "You sure he won't wake up?"

Rustle. "Yeah. I've done this before. Now give me that pen."

"Hurry."

"Yeah… Done!"

"Let's go."

"Ok, ok, don't be in such a rush."

"Dobe."

"Teme."

"Usuratonkachi."

"…teme…"

Chuckle.

Silence.

Grumble.

-- -- -- --

Gaara open his eyes slowly to stare at the ceiling far above him.

He is hungry. He can feel the emptiness of his stomach as he changes his porition.

Eating would be a very good choice to do first in the morning.

So he raises from his bed and stretches slowly and carefully his every muscle.

He steps to the floor. Shivers run down his spine as he feels the coldness of the floor. Quickly he dresses up and rushes downstairs to kitchen.

-- -- --

Temari hears steps coming down the stairs. She assumes it is Gaara, so she turns on her chair to greet him. "Morning, Gaara."

"Mrhng…"

She considers that as a greeting.

Temari frowns as Gaara steps into her view.

Something is different about him. Hair? No, it is the same as always, just a bit ruffled. Eyes? No, they too are the same, maybe just a bit tired.

Gaara turns to face his sister and brother who finally raises his gaze from his cup of hot tea.

"Shônen ai?"

There. Now Kankuro blew it.

Gaara glares. "What?"

"Umh, Gaara. Have you looked in the mirror today..?"

Gaara's eyes widen. He rushes off to the front hall.

After awhile a yell can be heard.

"UZUMAKIIIIIII!!"

* * *

This story has already been written, so I'll be udating this whenever I have the time. This'll have about 7 (short!) chapters total.

That 'dobe-teme-usuratonkachi-...teme...' is a tribute from 'Blind Love' by A Placebo World.

I hope you enjoyed. If you did, just wait for the next chapter. I think it'll be up within a week.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

-- --

Gaara is walking on the streets of Konoha. He is not just walking around without destination, no, not at all. He has a goal to achieve. To kill half the members of former team 7.

Yes. Fate has something planned for Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto, as Hyuuga Neji, who has nothing to do with any of this, would have put.

Gaara walks, and walks, for quite some time until he notices the familiar blond head ahead of him. Carefree, as always, Naruto sits eating his ramen at Ichiraku, not noticing the danger behind him until it finally taps his shoulder.

"Uzumaki…"

Naruto freezes. _'Oh no…'_

Gaara stands arms crossed behind Naruto, glaring like the demon he once had sealed within him.

"Hi!" Naruto tries to act innocent and not to look at Gaara's forehead, but since the kanji is so big he just can't avoid it.

"Don't act innocent", Gaara growls and grabs Naruto by his shirt. "I know you and Uchiha did this."

"No, no. It wasn't me. I don't know anything about it!"

Gaara tightens his grip and Naruto gulps. "Uzumaki..!"

"Ok, ok! We did it, Sasuke and me!"

Gaara lets go of Naruto, causing him to land on Ichiraku's table.

"Ouch…"

"When will this disappear?"

"In 13 days."

Gaara frowns and turns to glare at the Uchiha in a way that suits him well. Sasuke only smirks.

"Be glad the dobe didn't do the jutsu, or else it would have lasted for 182 days and more."

"Yeah, be glad teme did it with his _non-existable chakra_."

"And if you'd done it with that _uncontrollable power_ that you call chakra it would have probably worn out when he's 89."

"At least it would have been a perfect prank!"

The Kazekage-sama of Sunagakure has long ago stopped listening to the two quarrelling lovebirds. Now he is walking away, glaring at the villagers of Konoha who stare openly at the kanji 'shônen' next to the 'ai'.

If you haven't noticed by now, the prank that Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto – the soon-to-be-Rokudaime Hokage – had pulled on Sabaku no Gaara was to write 'shônen' to his forehead. And they succeeded. And because of the jutsu that Sasuke had put onto it Gaara is forced to walk around with 'shônen ai' on his forehead for 13 days.

But thankfully Gaara knows how to control his sand even without Shukaku so he can get his revenge.

Gaara smirks and continues on walking back to his Konoha house to do some paperwork. Today he will not go out after this, no way. He can't stand the curious looks people give to him when he passes them, like right now some group of older women are doing.

"Is that the Kazekage-sama?"

"It sure is."

"What there reads on his forehead?"

"It looks like 'shônen' to me."

"But does that make it so that there reads 'shônen ai'?"

"Yes, yes it does."

"What is the meaning of this, then?"

"Does it mean that the Kazekage is homosexual?"

"Yes, it might do."

"I see."

Gaara? Homosexual? No way. No, no, never. He fastens his steps and almost runs the rest of the way to his house.

Rushing in through the door Gaara closes it with a bang. Sighing, he leans against it. _'This is bad'_, is all he can think. Once the rumour of his… _new tattoo_ has reached everyone in the village he will be treated like a homosexual everywhere.

Gaara lowers his head and starts thinking of why exactly he is afraid of being marked as a homo. After all, he doesn't really even know what the word means. It is just that whenever he has heard the word homo, it has been said with a voice of disgust, like there is something wrong with it.

But then again, no one likes Gaara anyways.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

-- --

"Morning, Gaara."

Gaara nods and growls to his sister instead of a proper greeting. Quickly he gulps down his cup of strong tea – probably burning his mouth but not showing it to anybody – and returns to the hallway where he came. He starts making a hell of a noise right after until getting silent once again for a long time.

"Temari?"

"Yes?"

"Where's my hitai-ate?"

"… What are you planning on doing with it?"

"…"

"Gaara", Temari sighs and lands a hopeless gaze on Kankuro. She stands up. "If you are planning on covering the kanji with it…" She looks at Gaara standing on the hall with a stoic face. "I'd suggest you not to."

"Temari…"

"Look. The rumour has already reached the whole village, and if you now cover it, people will stop respecting you because you can't handle one minor kanji."

Gaara glares at Temari. Temari glares at Gaara.

"Fine", Gaara grunts. "I won't cover it." He leaves the house, slamming the front door with force.

"Wow", Kankuro finally manages to stutter. "Didn't know you care about do people respect him or not."

"I don't." Temari sips her tea. "He just looks stupid with his hitai-ate on his head."

-- -- --

Gaara frowns at the sun shining onto him, like it wants to show him to everyone. On the other hand, he is glad of the burning light, for he has to admit that he misses his home a bit. The sun shining so burningly on the blue sky, all the familiar places that Gaara protects with his own life if needed.

But he has nothing to worry about. Baki knows how to take care of things. Besides, Temari and Kankuro will return to Suna within few days, while Gaara will stay at Konoha for a week or more.

Looking around the house's front yard Gaara brushes his hair off of his face. His hair has grown quite long for he hasn't felt any need for cutting it. And maybe it is a good thing he never cut it. Maybe he could cover the kanji with his bangs now…

"Hello, Gaara!"

Gaara glares at the overfriendly intruder, sand rising lazily from the ground for he feels no real need of protection. But, to his surprise, the one greeting him is none other than Rock Lee, his shoulder length hair shining in the sun along with his pure white teeth. The one whom Gaara had saved from the boneman a long time ago. The one who was assigned to save him from Akatsuki.

"Lee", Gaara says, feeling something resembling a smile trying to force its way to his lips. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to be your guardian as well as your guide if you're in need of one."

"…"

"The Hokage herself asked me, and I agreed immediately." Lee crosses his arms behind his back and smiles like a genin who just accomplished his very first mission.

"Why?"

"What? Why what?" Totally out of it, Lee stares at Gaara with his big, innocent eyes.

Gaara stares back. "Why did you want to… guard me. Don't you have anything else to do?"

"Of course I selected this mission over others!" Lee puts his hands to Gaara's shoulders, freezing him to the spot. "There can't be anything more important than spending time with a friend that can't be done without me."

Gaara blinks. He is quite sure his heart stopped beating for a moment. "Friend..?"

"Yes. Friend." Lee lets his hands slip off of Gaara's shoulders. Gaara shivers. "Or… are we not friends to you? Gaara-sama?"

And suddenly Gaara feels warm. Not entirely, mostly on his upper body, the most where Lee's hands are slightly resting on his shoulders. But he feels warm, and he knows what that means. "Yes. We are", he says stoically, not any kind of flowing emotion getting a hold over him.

Lee smiles. "I'm glad to hear that." And without any warning Lee hugs him.

Gaara stares at the other man's chest, which he is shoved against to. He lets a small smile appear to his face.

Lee had said nothing of the shônen ai. Maybe that is a good thing.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

-- --

Gaara looks emotionlessly at his reflection. He raises his hand to the extra kanji on his forehead and pokes it. Nothing happens.

Someone knocks the door.

"It's Lee. I hope you're dressed", comes Kankuro's voice. He opens the door, Lee appearing behind it with a slightly embarrassed smile. "If you want breakfast, you gotta do it yourself. Me and Temari'll leave in a minute." Then Kankuro closes the door. Slowly his steps fade away.

"Sorry for coming without any warning, Gaara-sama."

Gaara doesn't say anything to this. He keeps staring at the mirror, following Lee's every footstep through it.

"I heard you've got a meeting with my youthful Hokage-sama today, so I rushed here to escort you. Because you can never know when some un-youthful illegal people decide to show up, jumping up from a dark alley, outnumbering us. But of course we, with our youth, would soon beat the criminals trying to kidnap the Kazekage, and the whole village and even Suna would thank us and Gai-sensei would be so proud of me and – "

Gaara lets Lee brag on and on. His mind is on something else. He lifts his hand and covers first the word 'ai', then 'shônen', then looks at both of them the same time. He frowns.

"Are you shônen ai?"

Lee stops talking immediately. He has a look of some kind of a shock on his face. "Do you mean… am I… uh…"

Gaara turns to Lee, staring straight into his black eyes with his own green ones. "Is it a bad thing?"

"No, no, no it isn't bad!" Lee shakes his head a bit too furiously to Gaara's liking. "It's love and love is never bad."

"It isn't?"

Lee shakes his head again, this time more slowly. "No, it is not bad. It's just… just…"

Gaara cocks his head and keeps on staring.

"…different", Lee finally ends his sentence, looking a bit red on the face.

"I'm different", Gaara says, and Lee thinks he sounds a bit happy. "Am I shônen ai?"

Lee stares at Gaara, his mouth hanging wide open. "…" He sighs, turning his head away from Gaara for a moment. "It's not exactly like that… You can be different in many ways, but being different doesn't make you…"

"Shônen ai."

Lee nods.

-- -- --

Later the day, when Gaara is walking to the meeting with the Hokage, he thinks about shônen ai again. He is interested about it.

Lee keeps on talking about his latest training. Gaara gives a glance at the sun shining high on the sky above. He wants to know more about the word. He wants to know the meaning behind it. He knows he has to, because there is something about it that keeps haunting Gaara's mind.

Maybe he is shônen ai. Whatever it means.

-- --  
"Is Naruto shônen ai?"

"I think… I think he is. With Sasuke."

"Do you need someone to be shônen ai?"

"Well, yes."

"Why?"

"Well, love is… a thing… a feeling between two persons. It can be one-sided, but then… well, then it's doomed. But if you love someone and that someone loves you, then it'll last."

"What if it doesn't?"

"…it will be the end of it."

"Can love come back?"

"Yes. But in a different shape, usually. But sometimes you just fall for the same one over and over again."

"Then, what is shônen ai? Is it when a boy loves?"

"It's… it's when a boy loves another boy. Or when a boy just loves boys, when he doesn't have feelings for girls."

"I love myself. Is that shônen ai?"

"No. Loving yourself is different from loving someone else."

"Do I love Naruto?"

"… That I don't know."

"I might do."

"But is it the kind of love from a deep friendship, or the love of brothers, or the love that makes you fight for him until your death, the kind of love that fills your stomach with butterflies, and you feel like you want to never let him go, and you are in ease with him, like you two are one."

"… I would fight for you. I have fought for you."

"Me too."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

-- --

That night Gaara's mind is full of thoughts. Not only thoughts considering the meeting with the Hokage yesterday and today. In fact, most of his thoughts are not about the meeting at all, but the word on his forehead.

Shônen ai.

It haunts him. Gaara is sure, otherwise he would have just got over it.

But now that he knows what it means it feels all different.

What did Naruto mean when he wrote it? Did his act have a deeper meaning? Did he want to tell Gaara that he is shônen ai?

Gaara leans his forehead to the mirror in his room. He stares at his reflection.

Did Naruto want to tell that Gaara is shônen ai?

"Did Naruto want to make me shônen ai?" Gaara stares deep into his own green eyes, hitting his fist to the mirror. "Was this intentional? Did he do this just to make me suffer?"

Gaara pulls his head away from the mirror and hits it again. With a clear crash the broken pieces fall to the table and to the ground.

Gaara's knuckles are bloody. He stares at the blood, horrified, having not remembered he is now vulnerable.

"Damn it", he whispers to himself. It is all shônen ai's fault. It made him loose his calm. It made him bleed.

-- --

"I've decided."

Lee looks at Gaara's stoical face. "What have you decided?"

"I don't want to be shônen ai."

Lee's eyes widen at surprise. "What made you decide such?"

"This." Gaara lifts his right hand to show the fresh wounds on it. "I hurt myself because of shônen ai."

"But Gaara-sama, surely it isn't shônen ai's fault…"

"It is. It made me forget I'm vulnerable. I hate it."

Lee is quiet. "Do you hate me?"

"No. You're not it. You're Lee, my friend. I don't hate you."

"What would you do if I told you I'm shônen ai?"

Gaara is quiet.

A young boy passes them with his friend. He looks at Gaara arrogantly. "Queer", he hisses.

Gaara looks after him.

"Gaara-sama?"

"Don't ask me such, Lee. I don't know." Gaara looks at Lee, his green eyes softer than usually. "I don't know. It made me bleed, but if you are it, I will try to like it."

Lee smiles. "Thank you, Gaara-sama."

"Call me Gaara, if you truly are my friend."

Lee's smile turns even brighter. "Thank you, Gaara." He hugs him, but lets go quickly. "Sorry, I… forgot you hate shônen ai."

"Was that shônen ai?"

Lee looks surprised. "Well, no, but it can be thought as it…"

"If it can, then I won't." And Gaara lifts his hands and hugs Lee, clumsily but so warmly that even Lee wonders if he has ever got a hug so warm.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

-- --

Gaara sits on the grass, leaning his back against a tree. He watches as Naruto and Lee spar on the training ground, spending more time laughing than really training.

Uchiha Sasuke is sitting next to Gaara.

Gaara turns to look at him. "Are you shônen ai with Naruto?"

Sasuke startles and looks at Gaara. "What?"

"Are you shônen ai with Naruto?" Gaara repeats calmly.

Sasuke only stares at Gaara.

Gaara cocks his head to the side and keeps staring at Sasuke. "Are you?"

"I don't know if he is..." Sasuke finally mutters quietly.

"Why don't you just ask him?"

"It's not that simple."

"It thought it is." Gaara looks slightly surprised. "I would've just asked."

Sasuke looks at him. "Sometimes I wonder why they chose you as their Kazekage…" he mutters under his breath.

-- --

Gaara follows Naruto as they leave to Ichiraku to have some ramen. Sasuke and Lee trail behind him.

"Naruto?"

"Hm?"

Sasuke shoots his head up and glares at Gaara.

"Why did you write this?" Gaara points at his forehead where the kanji would still be for four days.

Sasuke lowers his head.

Naruto looks at him surprisedly. "I dunno. I just thought it was a good prank. I didn't mean to offend you or anything, if you're homophobic…"

"Homophobic?" Gaara repeats, tasting the word in his mouth. "Someone who doesn't like shônen ai?"

"Yeah. Someone who is scared of it, like it's a disease or something."

"Is it?"

The surprised look has not yet once leaved Naruto's face. "A disease? No, no… It's just… just…"

"Love", Lee helps him, smiling.

"Yeah, love." Naruto turns to look at Gaara. "Why are you asking such?"

"Are you shônen ai?"

Naruto's mouth is hanging open. Sasuke glares at the back of Gaara's head.

"You mean am I gay?"

"Are you gay?" Gaara repeats obediently as he learned a new word.

Naruto stares at him. "I, uh… yeah, I guess I am…" He scratches the back of his head. "What's with all this questioning?"

"I just wanted to know it it's this simple." Gaara has barely blinked his green eyes the whole time. "Uchiha lied. It is."

"What?" Naruto glances between Sasuke and Gaara. "What are you talking about?"

Lee looks thoughtfully at Gaara.

"Uchiha doesn't know if you are gay but he said it isn't that simple to ask you." A small, small smile forms on Gaara's lips as he finishes his sentence.

Naruto's mouth hangs open yet again. He stares at Sasuke who has turned his flushed face away from them. "Teme, you idiot. You could've just asked and not confuse Gaara with it."

"He asked me first…" Sasuke mumbles quietly but shuts up completely as Naruto kisses him.

Lee turns to look at Gaara as the two don't seem to stop at all. "Gaara…"

"Yes?"

"Had you planned this all?"

Gaara looks at Lee, his eyes unreadable. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, nothing…"


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

-- --

It is two days until the kanji 'shônen' would disappear from Gaara's forehead. And three days until Gaara would get back to Sunagakure.

Gaara thinks he finally understands the difference between love and shônen ai.

There isn't such.

And Gaara thinks he has finally decided what he thinks of it. It can't be bad is his opinion, when so many are it. Sasuke and Naruto are shônen ai together. Are gay together, Gaara corrects as he remembers the new word. It sounds pretty, almost as pretty as shônen ai.

Also, Lee might be gay.

What would Gaara do if Lee told him he is? Gaara doesn't know. Propably nothing.

Naruto said it is no disease, so it can't be cured. It is just love, and Gaara has learned that love is a good thing.

Maybe Gaara is gay too. Now that he knows what it means.

-- --

This morning the kanji disappeared along with all the doubts Gaara had with shônen ai.

--

"Lee?"

"Yes, Gaara?"

"I wouldn't do anything."

"…" Lee doesn't know what Gaara is talking about.

"If you told me you're gay. I wouldn't do anything. It's not sickness, so I can't cure you."

Lee smiles. "Thanks, Gaara. That's nice to hear."

"Maybe I'm too." Gaara looks at Lee with his bright green eyes. "If I am, can we be together?"

Lee blushes slightly. "Gaara, it's not that simple…"

"That's what Uchiha said. But I tried for him. It was simple. Then they kissed and now they are together even more than before."

"Well, but… Sasuke and Naruto have always been much together and they clearly have liked each other for an eternity…"

"We're much together."

"But do you like me like they like each other? Could you imagine being with me for the rest of your life?"

"Yes." Gaara looks serious. The sun shines on his red hair and white skin. "If we could have kids, they would have your eyes and my hair."

Lee blushes even more. Then they are silent and just walk along the street.

A boy walks past them with his friend. Gaara thinks he looks familiar.

The boy looks at them and stops. "It's gone", he says.

"Yes."

The boy is silent. His friend waits a few steps ahead.

"Well, um… Sorry." He blushes. "For what I said earlier. I didn't really mean it."

Gaara shrugs. "That's okay."

"C'mon, Iro", his friend beckons him to move on.

"And thanks", the boy whispers just as he leaves to his friend.

Gaara looks after them as they go on their own way. They hold hands.

Then he turns around and walks on. "You're really nice. You're the closest to love that I have."

"Even if I'm the closest, it doesn't mean it's love."

"It is."

Lee smiles. "Maybe it is, then."

-- -- --

**A/N:** The end. I hope you liked this short and hopefully cute fic. Thanks for all the comments, I loved them. :)


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